Val Kilmer says actor friend Douglas 'misinformed' on cancer claim

(Reuters) - Actor Val Kilmer has denied reports that he has cancer, saying that his friend Michael Douglas was “misinformed” when he told reporters Kilmer was in bad shape with oral cancer.

Cast member Val Kilmer attends a news conference for the film "Twixt" at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto September 12, 2011. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill

Kilmer, 56, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he hadn’t spoken to Douglas, his co-star on the 1996 movie “The Ghost and the Darkness,” for two years.

“I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed. ... Almost two years ago I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat, which prevented me from continuing a tour of my play ‘CITIZEN TWAIN,’” Kilmer wrote in the post.

“I ended up using a team at UCLA and have no cancer whatsoever. I still have a swollen tongue and am rehabbing steadily,” Kilmer wrote, adding that he has made three films in the past year.

Reports of Kilmer’s declining health made headlines after Douglas said in a London interview last weekend that Kilmer was suffering from the same kind of throat cancer that he had battled in 2010.

“Val ... is dealing with exactly what I had, and things don’t look too good for him,” Douglas said. “My prayers are with him. That’s why you haven’t heard too much from Val lately.”

“Top Gun” star Kilmer appeared to have no hard feelings toward Douglas.

“Whatever led Michael Douglas to speculate about my health, he’s a loving and devoted friend to a privileged group of talented people around the world, and I’m sure he meant no harm,” Kilmer wrote on Tuesday.